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Image by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell.
8-17-2023 1:21am
Police Log: Bicyclist Struck by Vehicle, Suspicious Man in White Car Follows Runner
Darlene Cancell
Editor
The news described in Westwood Minute's weekly Police Log article series is primarily based on selected information from the Westwood Police Department's daily log and information provided by Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and police staff. Occasionally, a few facts from other sources may be woven into these stories.
Monday, August 14th
Police Pursuing Lead in Theft of Tires and Rims from Car Dealership
9:38 a.m. An employee of Prime Acura reported four stolen tires and rims, valued at $2,000. The tire and rims were likely stolen sometime after 8:00 p.m on August 12th when the last employee left for the day. Security footage shows a late Jeep Grand Cherokee with dark sun roof, dark rims and tinted windows in the area. It had a trash bag covering its license plate. A heavy man with a face covering and wearing white Nike sneakers with blue jeans was seen removing the rims and tires in about 10 minutes. Police are following a lead in this case.
Saturday, August 12th
Vandalism at Golf Course
5:39 a.m. A greens supervisor at Norfolk Golf Club on East Street reported vandalism to the first green and 8th fairway tee box. The supervisor described a divet in the first green that was about the size of a grapefruit. There were also two, long furrows on the tee box on the 8th fairway.
Identity Theft to Open a Credit Card
11:36 a.m. A resident of Tamarack Road told police that someone had applied for a credit card using the resident’s name and social security number. The resident learned that the card had not yet been activated. Police suggested the resident put a watch or freeze on his credit card account.
Make a Joyful Noise
4:02 p.m. A resident of Whitney Avenue complained about noise from a wedding reception being held on an adjacent property. Police responded and determined that the noise was at an acceptable level.
At 7:58 p.m. The resident of Whitney Avenue made a second noise complaint. Police determined that the noise level was acceptable. However, the homeowner indicated that the party would be ending soon.
Friday, August 11th
Shoplifting Suspect Sustains Injuries While Running from Police
9:03 p.m. Police responded to a shoplifting from Frugal Fannie’s, where the suspect had just left with stolen merchandise, setting off the store alarm. When management asked to see her handbag, the suspect refused and ran away. Frugal Fannie’s staff told officers that the young woman had left the store and was heading toward the parking lot of the nearby Audi dealership.
Police located a female carrying a bag in the parking lot of the Audi dealership, and an officer spoke to her. When police found her, she had stolen items with her that were worth over $360. She was found to have in her posession $262.88 worth of merchandise that included clothing, a handbag and shoes. She ran into woods abutting the Audi dealership.
Another officer located the suspect at Willard Circle. An ambulance was summoned to treat the woman who was bleeding from cuts and bruises from fleeing into the woods. The suspect was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess in Needham.
The suspect will be receiving a summons to Dedham District Court for shoplifting. She can also expect to receive a no-trespass notice from the store.
Thursday, August 10th
Suspicious Man in White Car Follows Runner
9:03 a.m. A Westwood woman complained of being followed by a suspicious man while on a morning jog. The resident told police that she was in the area of Dela Park Road for a morning run when a white, faded, boxy car came down the same road and began to follow her.
The resident described the driver as a man in his late 20s, possibly of Indian (South Asian) descent. The resident reported that the man kept staring at her, and even drove on the wrong side of the road to keep following her.
She went to a nearby home and rang the doorbell. When another resident answered the door, the complainant explained the situation and used the phone to call her husband to pick her up. After being picked up, the resident reported the incident to police. Police responded to the area, but did not see any vehicle matching the given description.
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Bicyclist Struck by Vehicle
9:40 a.m. A bicyclist was struck while riding her bicycle on Nahatan Street at the Clapboardtree Street intersection. She was on her way to Norwood and was crossing the intersection when a 2016 Mazda driven by a woman from Norwood made contact as she drove uphill on Clapboardtree Street to make a turn to Westwood High School. The bicyclist, a woman from Herndon, Virginia, was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess in Needham. Police issued the driver a citation for failing to yield at an intersection.
Private Dumpster
10:24 a.m. Police responded to a report of a suspicious person dumping trash at a private property on Fox Hill Street. A construction worker saw a man with long grey hair, in his 50s, get out of a grey Toyota with a Maine license plate. The worker noted that the man tried to throw a trash bag in a dumpster on the property. The worker told the man this was not acceptable and the man left. The worker requested that the incident be documented.
Hit-and-Run Car Accident
6:14 p.m. On Providence Highway, a party to a minor car accident reported a hit-and run. The complainant told police that the complainant’s car was swiped on the left rear by a dark Nissan Maxima while exiting Interstate 95 toward Route 1.
Both vehicles pulled over for the drivers to converse. The complainant noted that the driver of the Maxima indicated that the Maxima was a rental and he had to find paperwork in the car. However, the driver of the Maxima then got into the car and drove away. The complainant did not see a license plate number, but noted that the plate appeared to be from Rhode Island. Police created a crash report.
Wednesday, August 9th
Unemployment Fraud
9:15 a.m. A Westwood resident reported a case of unemployment fraud. Although the resident of Carroll Avenue works full-time, he received a notice from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance regarding a claim filed in his name. The resident had not filed the claim. He was advised to file a fraud report online with MDUA and to monitor his credit cards and bank account.
Injuries in Collision at Pond Street and Pond Plain Road
2:42 p.m. A 2016 Honda driven by a man from Franklin rear-ended a 2017 Toyota driven by a Medway woman at the intersection of Pond Street and Pond Plain. As a third vehicle turned from Pond Street onto Pond Plain Road, the Toyota followed and slowed, but the Honda was unable to stop in time. The Honda struck the rear of the Toyota. Both vehicles had to be towed. The driver of the Toyota was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham.
Shoplifting Suspect Cited for Misuse of Handicap Placard
5:50 p.m. Loss prevention staff at Wegmans reported a shoplifting in progress. Staff followed the suspect out of the store, and watched him put unpaid groceries in his grey Audi, and then walk into the nearby Marshalls store. Police and Wegmans staff located the suspect inside Marshalls and then accompanied him to the Wegmans office.
Police learned that the suspect was parked in a handicap space and was using a handicap placard that was issued to a different person. Police seized the handicap placard and cited the man for handicap placard misuse.
Wegmans declined to press criminal charges for the stolen merchandise, worth about $167. It included shrimp, pineapple, Bourbon steak tips, ribeye, cod loin, and lobster meat.
Mediation over Child Visitation
6:06 p.m. At a home in Westwood, police mediated a dispute over child visitation.
Tuesday, August 8th
Knife-Wielding Man Walks the Highway
9:28 a.m. Police responded to Providence Highway on the report of a man walking in the breakdown lane, waving a knife. Police found the man, who told police that while walking in the highway, he found a knife, picked it up, and threw it into a wooded area. Police were able to locate the knife and placed it into evidence. Police noted that the man did not appear to be in distress and appeared normal in his affect, and he was allowed to continue on his way.
Missing Backpack?
9:45 a.m. Police received a report from a man who claimed that he had his backpack stolen from the parking lot while at Life Time Fitness. The man reported that he had left his vehicle unlocked with the backpack in the front seat of his red Honda Civic. When he returned from his workout, he reported that his backpack was missing. Police reviewed security video and noted that no one approached the man’s vehicle in the parking lot during the times reported by the complainant.
Freeing a Fawn
7:53 p.m. A resident of Weatherbee Drive requested police assistance in freeing a baby deer that was trapped by a garden fence, with its mother nearby. Police officers responded and were able to help the fawn around the fence and reunite it with its mother.
Thanks to Lieutenant Christopher Sheehy and Westwood Police for contributing information for this article.
